'Prodigal Son' stars talk killer new show

NEW YORK (FOX 5 Atlanta) - “They’re just laid back guys, man.  They’re going in to make the donuts, you know?  Except they’re catching series killers.”

With a tease like that from Lou Diamond Phillips, how could you not be excited about the actor’s new show?

“Prodigal Son” is a brand-new hour-long crime series premiering Monday night on FOX.  The show stars Tom Payne (who you might know from a little show filmed here in Atlanta called “The Walking Dead”) as Malcolm Bright, who uses his unique skills to help the NYPD solve crimes.  What skills are those?  Well, Malcolm happens to be the son of a notorious serial killer, so he has a deep understanding of how killers think.

“Well, there’s a lot in the script,” says Payne, on preparing for his role as the son of a serial killer.  “The landscape is so covered with different stories about different serial killers, so there’s a lot of material out there to get into.”

Emmy-nominee Lou Diamond Phillips co-stars as Detective Gil Arroyo, who serves as a mentor to Malcolm and his team of crime-solvers.  Phillips says previous research with real cops for projects including his 1990 film The First Power helped prepare him for this latest part. “They’ve got this great insight, but they also have to balance their private lives with that,” he says.  “I love Gil because he is so relaxed…he can’t operate on ‘eleven’ at all times.”

Thanks to the production assistance of FOX Publicity, we traveled to New York to sit down with Tom Payne and Lou Diamond Phillips, learning more about why both wanted to be part of the dark and twisted world of “Prodigal Son.” Click the video player above to watch our interview – and don’t miss the series premiere of “Prodigal Son” Monday night at 9:00 p.m. right here on FOX 5 Atlanta.